[GNC] When changing to different version of GNUcash what should be done with data base or files?

[Geert Janssens]

Op woensdag 1 augustus 2018 04:58:48 CEST schreef aeneas:
> It seems that there always exists a possibility that data base/file
> structures can change from one version to another of GNUcash.  Generally
> speaking developers try to consider this and may make accommodation for some
> older versions in newer versions of their software which means there is a
> chance that newer versions of the software will function properly when
> using data bases/files produced by older versions.  However, when needing
> to migrate backward from a newer version to an older version this is likely
> to be more problematic.  The nature of the data bases/files that GNUcash is
> producing is such that failure to do this properly risks the creation of
> serious problems when making such migrations.  This owes to the notion both
> that the data consists of financial records as well as the idea that a
> large amount of data accumulated over a long period of time may be
> involved.
> 
> Therefore it would seem that changing the version of GNUcash is something
> that needs to be done carefully.  This should include some means to verify
> success in a short amount of time insofar as it doesn't take long before the
> idea of returning to a prior state known to be good can become extremely
> difficult if not impossible.
> 
> Is there a procedure that ought to be followed when making such a change?
> What is the possibility that these considerations differ based on the chosen
> output format?
> 
Gnucash tries very hard to provide a backwards compatible return path the the 
last version of a previous release.

So if you tried 3.x and it has bugs you can't work around acceptably, you 
should be able to return to 2.6.21 in this case.

However while this is tested, it's unfortunately impossible for the developers 
to test all possible scenarios so even this may fail in some cases.

For that reason it's important you create a backup of your data file/database 
before trying a new version, You may want to do the same for the metadata 
stored in .gnucash for 2.6.x. That will be your known good state in worst case 
and it is very easy to return to it (not extremely difficult or impossible at 
all).

You can consult the gnucash FAQ for more information on which files to back 
up.
https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/FAQ#Q:_How_do_I_backup_my_data.3F
https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/FAQ#Q:_How_do_I_backup_my_GC_environment.
2C_including_preferences.3F

Regards,

Geert